NFL Player News

The Giants placed Bellinger (quadriceps) on the physically unable to perform list Thursday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Rookies reported for New York's training camp Tuesday, so Bellinger may have sustained his quad injury in the interval since. The 2022 fourth-round pick worked predominantly with the first team during spring practices, and he appears to have a legitimate shot at securing the No. 1 role in the Giants' tight end room. Of course, if Bellinger misses a substantial amount of practices time due to injury this offseason, his chances of starting could significantly dip.

The Chargers placed Smartt on the non-football injury list Tuesday due to an unspecified issue, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Once he's activated from the list and able to participate in training camp, the undrafted rookie tight end out of Old Dominion will compete for a depth role.

Okwuegbunam shared Broncos' first-team reps with rookie Greg Dulcich (core) during OTAs and faces competition for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart at tight end, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Okwuegbunam should have the inside track to remain atop the depth chart at tight end in Denver, but Dulcich's involvement with the starters this offseason could mean the veteran's job is less secure than once thought. Dulcich, chosen in the third round, has promise as a pass catcher, and the coaching staff seems interested in seeing what they have in the UCLA product. The duo had been splitting reps with the first-team offense in OTAs prior to Dulcich missing time with a minor core muscle pull. Third-year veteran Okwuegbunam is likely the favorite to start the year as the No. 1 tight end, but Dulcich's on-field performance could compel the coaching staff to make a switch at some point this season.

Dulcich missed the final week of the Broncos' OTAs as well as the team's two-practice mandatory minicamp due to a minor core muscle pull, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

The injury doesn't seem to be a major concern for Dulcich, who could be fully cleared for the start of training camp later this month. If ready to go for camp, the rookie out of UCLA should get the chance to compete for the top spot on the depth chart at tight end with holdover Albert Okwuegbunam. Even though Okwuegbunam was thought to have the No. 1 role locked down after Noah Fant was traded to the Seahawks earlier in the offseason, Dulcich and Okwuegbunam had been splitting reps with the first-team offense in OTAs prior to the rookie missing time with injury. Dulcich has promise as a pass catcher and the coaching staff seems interested in seeing what he can do early on in camp and the preseason.

Schultz is set to play the 2022 season on a one-year guaranteed franchise tag of $10.93 million, Nick Eatman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

The tight end and the team were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal by Friday's deadline and the next chance the two sides will have to re-enter such talks will be after the coming season. Schultz, who participated in the Cowboys' mandatory minicamp last month after missing a portion of the squad's voluntary OTAs, seems likely to report to training camp on July 25 without any issues, per Eatman. The 26-year-old is coming off the best campaign of his four-year NFL career, in which the 2018 fourth-rounder caught 78 of his 104 targets for 808 yards and eight TDs in 17 contests. Looking ahead, Schultz remains entrenched as the Cowboys' top tight end and will remain a vital part of the team's passing attack from the get-go in 2022, more so with wideout Amari Cooper having been traded and fellow WR Michael Gallup still recovering from an ACL injury.

Gesicki is in line to play the 2022 season on the Dolphins' franchise tag after the tight end and the team were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal ahead of Friday's deadline to do so, Mike Masala of USA Today reports.

Gesicki is thus slated to earn $10.93 million this coming season, while heading a Miami tight end corps that also includes Durham Smythe, Adam Shaheen and Hunter Long. The 26-year-old is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he caught 73 of his 112 targets for 780 yards and two TDs in 17 games. Looking ahead, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN suggests Gesicki will be, at worst, the third option in a Dolphins passing attack that also includes dynamic wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. As long as he can stay healthy, Gesicki -- who has missed just one regular-season game in four NFL campaigns -- seems destined to earn a solid share of targets once again in 2022, with Masala noting that new coach Mike McDaniel is expected to implement a system that uses in-line tight ends frequently.

Gesicki and the Dolphins are unlikely to come to terms on a contract extension ahead of Friday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline for franchise-tagged players, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Gesicki signed his one-year, $10.9-million contract tender in March after reports that may he file a grievance to be treated as a wide receiver in this contract calculation - a move that could have netted him an additional $8.5 million in guaranteed salary. Barring any last-minute negotiations, the 26-year-old now looks primed to play out the 2022 campaign on the franchise tag. Gesicki has been used as a prolific pass-catching threat over the past three seasons with Miami, recording career-highs in targets (112), catches (73) and receiving yards (780) over 17 games in 2021; however, his usage may take a step back in 2022 with talented wideouts Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill also on the team's roster and in line to log plenty of targets this coming season.

Schultz is not expected to reach an agreement on a contract extension with the Cowboys before Friday's 4:00 p.m ET deadline for franchise-tagged players, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schultz appears poised to play the 2022 season on a $10.9 million franchise tag, barring any last-minute breakthrough in his contract negotiations with Dallas. The 25-year-old skipped a portion of the Cowboys' voluntary OTAs due to dissatisfaction with his contract situation before reporting to mandatory minicamp in mid-June. Schultz officially signed his franchise tag tender in March, likely indicating that he will not hold out any further. The tight end improved upon his impressive stat line from 2020 (63-615-4) with 78 receptions for 808 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and, after the trade of wide receiver Amari Cooper, Schultz could be in line for an even bigger role in Dallas' passing game in 2022.

McKeon participated in workouts with Dak Prescott and other key members of the Cowboys offense earlier this month, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Top tight end Dalton Schultz was part of the group, as were CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott and 2022 third-round pick Jalen Tolbert, which makes the inclusion of a depth TE like McKeon stand out. Heading into his third NFL season, the undrafted player out of Michigan has seen most of his action on special teams so far, but with Blake Jarwin no long on the Dallas roster, McKeon has a chance to win a much more significant role on offense. His main competition for the No. 2 spot behind Schultz will likely come from rookie Jake Ferguson, a fourth-round pick in this year's draft.

Njoku is set to take on a larger role in the Browns passing game in 2022, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports. "We certainly want to feature (Njoku)," Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "(He has) great size, great length in terms of catching the football and being able to go up and pluck contested catches. I think there is an evolution that will continue for David the player."

Njoku was a part-time player in four of his five seasons, but he will become the lead tight end in 2022 after the Browns let Austin Hooper go. He played 47 percent of the snaps in 2020 then 64 percent last season, and that number should head north of 80 percent in 2022. Stefanski feels the 26-year-old Njoku has evolved into a complete tight end, and the Browns rewarded him with a four-year contract earlier in the offseason. He's been featured in the red zone during Stefanski's watch -- all the tight ends were -- and has been used on quick throws, when he can use his athleticism after the catch. That was the case with a 71-yard touchdown on a screen pass in Week 5, a game in which Njoku caught seven passes for 149 yards. Unfortunately, the tight end never had more than 39 yards in a game the rest of the season, a glimpse into the inconsistency that's dogged him.